"Indra!"
"Indra! Indra! Indra!"
The roar thundered through Svarga like the wrathful bellow of a lion—or the righteous fury of an enraged Brahmin. It shook the heavens, echoing through the celestial halls with an earth-shattering resonance.
Rishi Atri stood frozen for a moment. Just as he was about to speak to Rohini, his breath caught in his throat, his eyes widened in shock, then disbelief, as he instantly recognized the voice.
"Rishi Durvasa!" His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet laden with the weight of certainty.
...
Vaikuntha.
Upon the great serpent bed of Ananta Shesha, Vishnu reclined in divine ease, his gaze fixed upon Devi Lakshmi. His eyes gleamed with warmth, reflecting the love that rippled between them like gentle waves upon the cosmic ocean. She met his gaze with an affectionate smile, a serene joy radiating from her presence.
The thousand-hooded serpent, Ananta Shesha, observed them with quiet satisfaction. His forked tongue flickered, tasting the air as he watched over his Lord and Devi.
At last, peace had returned.
For once, the ever-interrupting Garuda was absent, soaring somewhere in the vast expanse of the cosmos. Here, in this moment, only Vishnu and Lakshmi remained.
Yet, even in the heart of Vaikuntha, tranquility was fleeting.
Vishnu's eyelids fluttered briefly before his expression shifted. His gaze turned distant, his lips pressing into a thin line. A flicker of divine awareness passed through him as he turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing toward Svarga.
"Rishi Durvasa..."
The name left his lips in a murmur.
Lakshmi, attuned to every shift in her husband's presence, felt a sudden unease creep into her heart. Her fingers, pale and delicate, instinctively tightened around his hand.
"Husband, what troubles you?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.
Vishnu exhaled softly, yet his voice bore the weight of certainty.
"Durvasa has arrived in Svarga, and he is furious. When he is in such a state, curses are sure to follow. The Devas are in danger."
At his words, Lakshmi's pupils contracted. Memories surfaced of past curses, of tribulations that had cost the Devas dearly. Her hold on Vishnu's hand grew firmer, her breath slightly uneven.
Last time, it was Durvasa's curse that stripped the Devas of their wealth.
A curse that had cast her into the Ocean of Milk, setting in motion the great churning that followed. So many things had unraveled from that single moment.
She sighed, her voice barely above a whisper. "May the Devas be spared this time..."
Her long lashes trembled as she lowered her gaze, worry clouding her otherwise radiant face.
...
Brahmaloka.
From his divine throne, Brahma gazed downward, his eyes settling upon the celestial turmoil unfolding in Svarga. His brows furrowed ever so slightly.
"It is him," he murmured.
The Creator, though mighty in his own right, understood the weight of curses all too well. He himself had shaped destinies, weaving decrees into the very fabric of existence. Yet—when it came to the power of curses, Rishi Durvasa surpassed even him.
Durvasa, whose temper burned as fiercely as an unbridled yajna fire, would unleash his wrath without hesitation the moment he perceived offense.
Brahma exhaled slowly.
"The Devas are in trouble."
His voice was low, contemplative. His gaze shifted, drawn instinctively toward another presence in Svarga. A familiar, lean figure draped in saffron robes, fingers idly strumming a veena, lips curled in an all-too-knowing smirk.
Narada.
Brahma's eyes narrowed.
"Could it be him…?"
Across the ethereal chamber, Devi Sarasvati sat with quiet grace, her veena resting upon her lap. The delicate movement of her fingers stirred a melody rich with complexity, one that carried both beauty and unease.
Her voice, soft yet profound, filled the silence.
"Once again, the Devas stand at the edge of calamity."
A lingering sorrow wove through her tune, mirroring the worry in her luminous eyes.
"Durvasa's wrath is not easily quelled. If wisdom does not prevail, misfortune shall follow."
Her fingers glided over the strings, the veena's song shifting into a solemn refrain—one of foreboding, yet tinged with the faintest hope.
She lowered her gaze slightly.
"Let clarity find them before darkness does."
The veena's hymn carried forth, its celestial resonance rippling through the vastness of the cosmos.
…
Svarga.
A thunderous roar tore through the skies of Svaraga, shaking the very fabric of the celestial realm. Its sheer intensity sent ripples of unease across Svarga, reaching even the farthest corners of the sky.
High above, Garuda, soaring with his mighty wings outstretched, felt an eerie shiver race through his frame. His golden feathers bristled instinctively, standing on end as his sharp eyes darted toward the source of the voice.
"Rishi Durvasa!"
The name left his beak in a hushed murmur, his keen eagle gaze flashing with recognition.
This voice…
There was no mistaking it. The sheer authority, the unmistakable wrath could belong to none other than Rishi Durvasa.
Garuda's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze downward. In an instant, his vision locked onto a towering structure in the distance, the grand court of the King of Svarga.
Before the court, golden steps cascaded downward in shimmering layers, faintly glowing like fireflies in the twilight. But the celestial splendor of the scene was lost on the gathered Devas, who stood frozen, their bodies tense with fear.
They huddled together like quails caught in a storm, their divine glow dimmed by the looming presence of the enraged Rishi before them.
Agni clenched his jaw. Vayu stood rigid, his expression grim. Varuna looked as if he had already drowned in his despair. But none was as visibly shaken as Surya.
A bead of sweat trailed down the Sun God's radiant face as he took a slow step backward. If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in the Suryaloka…
Regret gnawed at him. If only he had listened to his daughter, remained within his domain, or better yet, gone to consult Yama instead.
The last time they had drawn Durvasa's ire, the punishment had been swift and merciless. Their divine power had been stripped away, leaving them helpless, weak, and powerless.
He will not dare to tempt fate again. Yet Durvasa's fury had already descended upon them.
"This is outrageous! Unacceptable!"
His voice bellowed like the roar of a lion, reverberating across the temple grounds. The force of his anger pressed down upon the Devas, leaving them unable to lift their heads. "You Devas… you dared to erect a statue of Asuras in Svarga?!"
His eyes gleamed with a piercing coldness, his gaze drilling into them like a divine judgment. "What is the meaning of this? What insolence is this!?"
A heavy silence gripped the air.
The Devas flinched, their faces paling. They exchanged nervous glances, but not one among them dared to meet the Rishi's gaze.
The gathered Rishis, who had witnessed the spectacle unfold, now turned toward the grand temple entrance. And there, before the temple, stood three colossal statues.
Towering like mountains, their golden armor gleamed beneath the celestial light. Their carved expressions bore an undeniable majesty, exuding an aura of overwhelming strength and defiance.
The onlookers needed no second glance to recognize the figures immortalized in stone.
Hiranyaksha. Hiranyakashipu. Hayagriva.
The air grew heavier. The Rishis slowly turned their gazes back toward the Devas, their expressions unreadable, waiting, expecting an explanation.
But the Devas remained silent, their lips sealed by fear. At last, a voice broke through the suffocating stillness.
A hesitant cough. A reluctant step forward.
Agni's flames dimmed by dread, gathered what little courage he had left, and forced out a reply.
"These statues… they were not our doing." He swallowed, feeling the weight of every eye upon him. "The Asuras carved them. Indra took them as trophies."
After all, he was the Dev of Fire, the very force that carried sacrificial offerings to the heavens. If the Rishis wished to perform yajnas, was it not fitting that they grant him some respect?
Yet, at this moment, respect was the last thing on Agni's mind.
"Trophies?" Rishi Durvasa's voice was like the crack of a whip, cold, sharp, and unrelenting. His eyes, frigid as the ice of the highest peaks, bore into Agni with such intensity that, despite being the Dev of Fire, he felt a chill creep through his very core.
"Shut up!"
The words rang out like the relentless tolling of a divine bell, each echo striking Agni like a hammer upon molten steel.
Durvasa's fury erupted like a storm. His eyes, now ablaze with divine wrath, spat fire as he advanced.
BOOM!
A deafening roar of thunder split the air. In one swift motion, Durvasa thrust his hand forward, jabbing a finger against Agni's forehead with such force that the Dev of Fire stumbled back.
"You Devas reside in Svarga, yet you have strayed from the path of your duty!" His voice thundered like a storm upon the cosmic ocean.
"You are the upholders of order, the guardians of Dharma, the guiding light for the Triloka. Yet here you stand before a temple desecrated by the very idols of the Asuras. Have you forgotten who they were? Hiranyaksha, the one who dragged Bhūmi Devi into the abyss. Hiranyakashipu, the tyrant who claimed he was greater than Vishnu and sought to kill his own devoted son. And Hayagriva, the Asura who stole the Vedas from Brahma and plunged the world into darkness."
"Have you forgotten why you exist? You are not the rulers of the three worlds. You are their caretakers. You do not own the Triloka. You serve it. And by honoring these enemies of Dharma, you invite the very destruction you were born to prevent."
His gaze burned with divine fury.
"Is this the path by which you uphold Dharma? Is this the example you set for the world?"
The devas flinched as his scolding rained down upon them, each word striking like a thunderbolt from the heavens.
BOOM!
Durvasa's dark eyes crackled with divine energy as his gaze swept over them, piercing their very souls.
Their expressions were a chaotic mix—fear, confusion, shock. Some clenched their fists; others cast their eyes downward, too afraid to meet his glare.
Then, his voice rang out again, sharp as a blade.
"Where is Indra?!"
His words cut through the air like a divine decree.
"Not only have you erected statues of Asuras in the heart of Svarga, but you summon Rishis to your banquets while your King does not even come to greet them! Is this how a ruler welcomes his guests?!"
Durvasa's fury surged once more, his voice echoing through the celestial halls.
"It's too much! It's too much!"
And then.
"Indra!"
His voice, like an unrelenting thunderstorm, rolled across the heavens, shaking the very foundations of Svarga. The name, repeated again and again, carried through the divine realm, traveling vast distances in an instant.
Far away, in the golden halls of his palace, Indra's eyes snapped open.
A sharp breath left him.
For a moment, he did not move. Then, realization dawned upon him, and a single figure appeared in his mind.
That voice…
That furious, earth-shaking bellow…
It was the same as before. His lips parted, and with a grim expression, he murmured the name.
"Rishi Durvasa."
---
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